First Time Avid Brake Bleed

I just bled my Elixir's for the first time...so THIS is what these brakes are supposed to feel like. Wow...didn't realize a proper bleed would make such a difference. No mushy lever feel. Can't wait to try them out on the trail.

How often do people usually bleed Elixirs? I've had mine about 4 months and they really needed it. Not sure if the place I got the bike from (Jenson) did a proper bleed or just shipped the bike as is. At any rate, they feel much better. Hopefully nothing explodes when i hit the trails...

Re: First Time Avid Brake Bleed

I bleed mine yearly. DOT fluid is hygroscopic, so it incorporates moisture in the air. While it is unlikely water would cause a catastrophic failure, it affects the heat capacity of the system, and leads to poor brake performance over time.

These are Elixir 1's, which seem to get trashed quite a bit in the forums. After reading so many negative reviews I thought about skipping the bleed and just buying something else, but I'll wait and see how it goes. I'd at least like to get a couple years out of them before scrapping them entirely.

I have elixir 1's, that I am happy with. They do work MUCH better after a good bleed though. I also tossed around the idea of replacing them, but I don't make enough money to throw it away just because people on the forums say something sucks.

While you bleed them, listen for a sucking/wheezing noise at the master cylinder on the lever. If they are newer, there probably won't be a problem, but if you hear something, they'll need to be warrantied.